D’s, oddly, often seem to act like S’s! That is, a D can often be clumsy in communication and fixated on familiar patterns of doing things and even sometimes anti-social in a way that might look introverted at times. But it’s for different reasons:

An S is clumsy in communication because they worry so MUCH about what’s going on and the right way to say stuff… the D is clumsy because they don’t worry AT ALL!

An S finds security in familiar patterns, feels comfortable in them and feels like they are a safer and predictable way to benefit others… whereas a D is so solipsistic that they often don’t realise they are stuck in a rut - they just haven’t asked other for input!

An S finds small talk in large crowds intense and overwhelming and prefers a small circle of close friends… a D finds small talk in large crowds tiresome and inefficient and prefers a small circle of henchmen.

In Christian circles I move in, and in the last few decades of Australian education/organisational culture I think it is frowned upon to be a D. As a result, I think many people, especially those in Christian leadership, who would be more comfortable in a D-style leadership have been trained to ape an ‘i’ style leadership - they try to be more inspirational and collaborative than suits them. Better to help them be a loving and humble ‘D’, rather than keep trying to force them to become an ‘i’ or ‘S’.

D’s feel deeply about being in control. They’re not argumentative because they’re rude, they genuinely feel passionately about where they’re going and feel stressed and attacked when that is questioned. Learning to take God very seriously and to not take themselves seriously is very important. Laughing at themselves is a very important step in enabling them to collaborate with others.

Young D’s are some of the most difficult people to work with - they don’t have the discipline to get much done yet, they don’t have the patience to get the details right and they don’t have the people skills to motivate others. They are best used on ‘high risk, short-deadline, low—social-impact’ assignments that others would find scary.

It might help non-D types to realise that a D actually feels emotionally stressed, depressed, and demotivated by lack of control, ineffeciency, slow pace, group work, routine activity. They’re not just abrasive and impatient. They actually thrive in change and challenge and feel exhausted by the lack of these things.

The way to influence a D is to either:

Sow ideas, inception-style, and gradually let them think of them as their own.

Show them how they will make a larger impact with your ideas.

Don’t tell them what they ‘should’ do, or what is ‘right’ or why ‘other people are worried about you not doing it’. These will all make them angry.

D’s can often be cagey and suspicious in the way they relate to other people. Rather than resenting this, you need to learn what gestures and patterns of behaviour will gain their trust and respect. Show you respect them and their autonomy. And don’t annoy them!